FIJI’s javelin thrower Leslie Copeland has one last chance to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games.
He is among regional athletes trying to qualify for Rio while competing at the Melanesian Athletics Championship that opened in Suva yesterday.
With the automatic qualification doors closing next Monday, Copeland needs to throw a distance of 83 metres on Saturday to be able to qualify.
His best throw so far has been 81.76m and Copeland said he had been working hard to achieve what could possibly be his second Olympics.
“I know this is very important fort me. This is my last chance to try and prove myself. I have come so close many times, but I am still chasing that golden mark,” he said.
Growing up in Vatukoula, Copeland suffered the loss of his father when he was nine years old. He is now 28.
Having been a representative for the country since 2004, Copeland last created an impact in the London Olympics when he threw a distance of 80.19m to be placed 13th.
Four years later and the lad with Naitasiri and Gilbertese ancestry is chasing the same dream which is now more important with the presence of his two-year-old son Peter.
“The qualifying distance for this Olympics has moved up incredibly. The gold medal distance in the last Olympics was 84m. They have really put the standards high which is good too because they want to lift the standards of competition wherever. We just have to achieve it.
“For us, javelin is one of the most technical events. It’s either you get it right or you get it completely wrong. I think we have a good field, but for me I am always competing against distance. I’d just like to make it known that what I have is a God- given talent and without God’s talent I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said.
His wife and son are expected to travel to Suva either today or tomorrow to support him for his event on Saturday.
In the last Melanesian Championship, Copeland won first place with a distance of 67.99m.
The games start at 2pm.
